| Description | Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) is a tall wide spreading small tree or shrub having an interesting horizontal branching habit. The off white flowers appear in early June. Prefers semi-shade, moist sites. |
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| Pronunciation | (KOR-nus)(al-ter-ni-FO-li-ah) |
| Plant Type | All Plants, Shrubs Deciduous |
| Hardiness Zone | 3-7 |
| Sunlight | prefers half-day to semi-shade light conditions, will tolerate full sun if the area is not to dry |
| Moisture | prefers moist, tolerates average |
| Soil & Site | prefers moist soil, does fine on average sites but will become distressed on dry sites |
| Flowers | off white-yellowish flowers are on upright cymes, appear in early to mid June |
| Fruit | followed by bluish-black drupes. |
| Leaves | ssimple, alternate, green, reaching about 3-5 inches long with a reddish purple fall color. |
| Stems | branches are horizontal to the ground giving it a Pagoda shape effect |
| Dimensions | 15-20 feet tall with a spread equal to or 1.5 times wider. |
| Propagation | seeds |
| Native Site | Native to areas of the United States and Canada. Found growing in moist woods and along streams. |
| Cultivar Origin | Introduced into cultivation in 1760. |
| Misc Facts | AKA: Alternate-Leaf Dogwood |
| Author's Notes | The times I have seen this plant use successfully is in semi-shaded moist sites. I have one in a garden for over 20 years in a semi-shaded site (2013). In hot, dry sites the Pagoda Dogwood suffers. |
| Notes & Reference | #1-Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Micheal Dirr), #3-Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs, #55-The Garden Book of Wisconsin (Melinda Meyers), #63-How to recognize Shrubs (William Carey Grimm) |
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